Gratitude Weekly 4 - Jay's Time Home

With Jay not going to Japan we have been on hold for a while waiting for him to join a ship. He had a few weeks off while they sorted out where to send him. Then they sent him to a shore command for a couple of months. A shore command that consisted of no 24 hour duty and weekends off. This week Jay will report to the USS WASP as the Training Officer. During the past two and a half months we have been totally spoiled having Jay home every night and weekends. I love him so much and he is the greatest father ever. Every day with him is such a gift and I am so thankful for the extra time we have had over the last few months.

Gratitude Weekly 3 - Date Night

When Jay is home we try desperately to go on a date every Friday night. Alex usually babysits, it used to be my parents, but now it is usually Alex. Jay and I have found that if we don't go out together on Friday then on Wednesday we snap at or yell at each other. We are trying to find things to do that don't involve eating, but we are hard pressed to do that since we really love to eat out. Some nights we are so tired that all we want to do it go home, but we don't want to go until the children are in bed so we go to Barnes and Noble and sit in a comfy chair and read books that we don't want to spend money on buying. It doesn't matter what we do, we just need that time as a couple. Last year there were actually many dates where he was stuck working at the ship and I took a book and just went and sat with him in his office and read while he worked, but we were together.

As we are becoming an older married couple (15 years) we find that the number one thing we both want is more time together and that is why every week I look forward to date night so very much.

Gratitude Weekly 2 - My Birthday

My birthday was this past week and I am thankful for it. If I say that enough will you believe me. I am thankful to be alive and healthy, but sometimes it is just so hard to think I am growing older and with that should come some wisdom and maturity. I informed Jay that I was going to be 35 and that was a rough age for me to deal with so I needed lots of presents and to be Queen for the day or possibly week. He didn't go for the lots of presents thing, but he dubbed me Empress for the day because he thought I would enjoy ruling over multiple kingdoms. I did find that I didn't need the presents, spending the whole day with my husband was good enough for me. In 11 years in the Navy Jay has never missed my birthday. There is not another birthday or holiday he can say that about.

Also this week we ran away from home. My parents kept the children and Jay and I ran down to Raleigh for a friend's wedding. We had a wonderful time and are so grateful for our time together.

Gratitude Weekly 1 - New Church Times

Church time changed at the beginning of the year. We used to go from 11-2 which was meant late breakfast or early lunch to make it through followed by large snack or early dinner. Now we are going to church from 1-4. I will admit that it isn't my favorite time to go, but I don't hate it. At least we get lunch (when it is not fast Sunday).

What I am so grateful for is that I don't have a napping child. For years, 13 and 1/2 to be exact, it didn't matter what time church was someone needed to be fed or take a nap. Last time we were at 1-4 church Nathan was a year old and Sooo cranky when he missed nap time. Jay doesn't get it that I am just happy that 1-4 church won't be so hard this time.

He was in Iraq last time and missed the fun.

So while everyone is complaining I am just quietly smiling and remembering that it could be worse. I will keep my eyes out for those moms suffering with the little ones and try to help them out, while being thankful for my bigger ones.

2010 - The Year of the Blog

I am resolved to make 2010 the year I return to blogging. Facebook sucked me in with it's instant gratification and I forgot the importance of writing beyond a status report. It may take some time to remember how to write in complete sentences and dare I say paragraphs, but I am going to make an effort to do that very thing.

2009 Year in Review Highlights

We had lots of Jay's family visit this year thanks to his parents serving a mission at the Washington DC temple and lots of the siblings coming to visit them. Jay did a brief 3 month deployment to South America over the summer. We had Megan (Jay's nephew, James's fiance) come to live with us for the summer. The children, Megan and I went to Nebraska for the Forsgren Family Reunion and lived to tell about it. We found out that we were going to Japan for Jay's next tour of duty. Jay came home from deployment. Sarah was baptized. Jay pinned on Lieutenant Commander. The fall was spent watching high school football games and watching my niece as the drum major for the marching band. Alex won 2nd place in both a writing competition and an poster contest. We prepared with all we were worth to go to Japan and then 36 hours before the movers were to come we found out that we would not be going to Japan. Too many children. The rest of the year was spent putting things back together.

Now we know that Jay will stay in Virginia until at least August of 2011. Jay is temporarily working for SURFLANT (Surface Forces Atlantic). In February he will report to the USS WASP (LHD 1) as the Training Officer. We are very pleased with how everything has worked out.

Our cat died this summer from cancer and our dog went to live with another family because of the Japan move so we got kittens for Christmas and named them Holly and Ivy.

Now we look forward to life being more settled and more time with Jay this coming year. It will be a year with much to be thankful for.

First Day of School 2009

One didn't want to go.

One was nervous.

One was excited.

One didn't have time for pictures until after school.

Lieutenant Commander Forsgren

September 1, 2009 Jay became a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. He was sworn into the Navy on January 22, 1999 and Commissioned an Officer on April 21, 2000.
Taking the oath

Pinning it on

A Family Affair

Sarah's Baptism

August 21, 2009 Sarah was baptised. Jay baptised and confirmed her a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Many people came to share in her wonderful experience. Alex gave a talk on Baptism and Uncle Pete gave a talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost.
At home before the baptism

Jay and Sarah

As a family

Homecoming August 2009

Jay came home August 21, 2009 from his deployment to South America. It was a short deployment (less than 3 months) but sometimes they all feel long.
Sarah before the ship came in.

Here it comes.

Waiting

Going to board the ship.

Together again.

Going to Japan

Sometimes it takes something big to get a person back to writing. This is big enough for me. Jay is getting orders to Sasebo, Japan. We don't know when he will go or when we will go, but ultimately sometime around November or December it looks like we will be headed to Japan for 18 month.
I am shocked and excited. I am glad that excitement is the main emotion because I would hate to be sad with the same intensity as I am excited. Spencer and Sarah are both thrilled. They knew that Japan was a possibility and were very happy. Alex didn't want to move and was disappointed. He has put on his game face though and is trying very hard to get into the spirit of it all. He is checking out kid websites about Japan to help him get excited about it. Nathan of course has no clue. My mother says that when he realizes what is happening he is going to say he is staying with Grandmama. That's what he does whenever I want him to do something he doesn't like.
My favorite part of all the excitement surrounding the announcement was Spencer's response to why he wants to go. I asked him what made him so happy about going to Japan, "Is it that Pokemon is from Japan?" He didn't even know that and his eyes got huge. Then he said, "No, I didn't know that, I just wanted to see what is on the other side of the world." What a great thing to remember, we are lucky to have this opportunity.